About Us
Women and non-binary individuals in Canada face numerous challenges, including underemployment and under-representation. It’s crucial to support their rights and help them succeed in both the workplace and their personal lives.
We stand for gender equality and inclusive, intersectional feminism
We believe that every woman and non-binary individual across Canada deserves to thrive in work and life
Our purpose is to aid in their journey by fostering skill development and a sense of community
Powered by Dress for Success Canada Foundation, Helping Women Now has a mission to ensure women and non-binary individuals thrive personally and professionally. Dress for Success Canada Foundation is among Canada’s most recognized registered charities in support of gender equity, economic independence, and workforce development for women and non-binary individuals.
We cannot afford to lose the equality and economic participation gains of women to the ‘She-cession’ of 2020. This has resulted in a wider gender gap in employment losses as a result of COVID-19 and threatens to set women’s economic inclusion in Canada back by decades.
“Greater labour force participation and better employment outcomes among women can help address some of the challenges posed by an aging population and have a positive impact on economic growth, productivity, gender equality and poverty reduction. McKinsey and Company (2017) estimated that by 2026, Canada could add $150 billion to its annual GDP by boosting women’s overall workforce participation ($63.3 billion), encouraging their employment in high-productivity sectors such as oil, mining and technology ($63.3 billion) and increasing their hours of work ($24.1 billion).” – C.D. Howe Institute; Juggling Act: Women, Work and Closing the Gaps with Men; Mahboubi & Zhang
Dress for Success Canada Foundation is a Canada-wide registered charity in support of gender equity, economic independence, and workforce development for underemployed women and non-binary individuals.
“In 2020, women in Canada earned $0.89 for every dollar earned by men annually (Statistics Canada 2021). They also continue to be under-represented in leadership and executive positions, occupying just 21.6% of board positions in Canada’s top 500 corporations in 2016 (Canadian Board Diversity Council 2016).”
Additional research shows:
- 10x more women than men in Canada have fallen out of the labour force since 2020 (Statistics Canada, RBC Economics)
- 22% of Canadians expect to rely on charities for basic needs (Imagine Canada, 2023 Giving Report)
- The gender pay gap is worse for those who face multiple barriers, including racialized women, Indigenous women, and women with disabilities. (Moyser, Statistics Canada)
Helping Women Now was developed, with the support of Women and Gender Equality (WAGE), as a response to the losses caused by the pandemic and to get women and non-binary individuals back to work.
Every woman and non-binary individual can be empowered to define their life’s potential and has the opportunity to overcome barriers to achieve success.
Dress for Success Canada Foundation acknowledges the support of Women and Gender Equality Canada.
